Small Worlds
Kevin Caron
Reviewed by Darren Hick

Kevin Caron is another one of those fledgling comics artists to watch out for -- in the future.

Small Worlds, a collection of Caron's short stories, is experimental. And, as is the nature of experiments, sometimes they fail -- but sometimes, just sometimes, they produce a most amazing effect. Small Worlds does both.

For the most part, Small Worlds comes across as attentive to detail, but stiff in execution -- his work being, overall, uneven. Caron's work has moments of almost Zen-like introspection, which, in his longer pieces (by which I mean upwards of 6 pages) are usually tripped up by his seeming unfamiliarity with realistic dialoguing. The single line in "Staring Contest" is the single-most prevalent cause of its failure. "Red Rubber Ball," Caron's attempt at telling the story of a baggage-laden relationship, too, seems to fail in this regard, bogged down with clumsy interaction of characters in an otherwise strong execution.

It is in his shorter pieces, "Suicide Alternative" and "Action Movies" that one begins to see Caron's penchant for dark humor and strong execution -- though what is, perhaps, his strongest work is one of his longest: "The Wedding Portrait," a 6-page tale of a marraige on its last legs. The realization is that "The Wedding Portrait" is strongest because Caron so ably takes on the epistolary narrative style. His first-person storytelling, in as strongly as Caron embraces it, allows his reader to more easily embrace the story he is telling -- and thereby more easily appreciate the nuances he applies to his work. Beyond a conscious attempt to vary his perspective, the reader will note that he never actually sees the wedding portrait, which serves as the central focus (and central metaphor) of the story. Caron clearly understands that, in a visual medium, absence is as important (and as powerful) as presence.

Caron's work contains a number of such insightful experiments. He is clearly touching base with the comics medium in esse and one can expect that he will continue to do so in the future. As well, Caron is clearly experimenting with style and method throughout the book, and one expects that he is moving toward a more personal, solidified style.

One expects many things from up-and-coming creators. Whether one's expectations are realized is always a crapshoot. Kevin Caron might just be one creator to place a restrained bet on.

Small Worlds is available for a measily buck direct from Caron at ducky16@banet.net or 43 Park Vale Ave. #7, Allston, MA 02134.